How to Take Photos That’ll Make Every Renter Fall In Love With Your RV

Story by Chelsea Gonzales // December 5, 2017

Are you looking for ways to make your RV rental listing more noticeable? It’s simple, take great photos of your RV. Your pictures are the very first thing a customer will see when considering your rental, and they could easily make or break their decision to book your motorhome or travel trailer.

Generally speaking, listings that include great images catch more eyes, receive more interest, and end up with more bookings. They highlight the best things about your rig and thus set appropriate expectations, allowing renters to book with confidence. So we worked with expert photographer and vanlifer Eileah Orhing did a shoot with Class A owner Addison Good, and she wanted to share photography tips with the Outdoorsy community.

Here are the most important photo tips for making your space and your listing look better than ever.

1) Clean, Clean, Clean

The rig should be clean both inside and out. Mop and vacuum, wipe down all surfaces, and stage the RV as you would a home for an open house. This means there should be no odd items (such as cleaning supplies or toiletries) sitting out, towels should be put away, and beds should be made.

As far as the exterior goes, windows should be clean and clear and no road dirt or layer of debris should be seen on the outside of the vehicle. Cracked or missing vent covers, light covers, and seals should be replaced before the photoshoot.

2) Environment Matters

Because the very first image your customers see will likely be the exterior of your RV, you want your outside photo to be a great one. To accomplish this, consider where you’re parked. Everything seen in the background of your photos reflects on you and your rig, so you will want a clean and clutter-free environment.

3) Light is Your Best Friend!

When it comes to photography, good lighting is incredibly important. For this reason, it’s a good idea to open all your windows and blinds during your photo shoot and let some sunlight fill the spaces inside your rig. This will make the RV easier to photograph, making it feel bigger, brighter, and more appealing. Take it one step further and shoot your rig during sunset, or what the pro’s call “Golden Hour”.

4) Landscape vs Vertical

When your images appear on your profile, they will show up in landscape (sideways) orientation. Therefore, it’s best to take landscape photos rather than vertical shots. Photos shot in landscape mode will not only look better on your listing, they will also make the rig appear larger.

5) Resolution Matters

If you have the option of using a higher-megapixel camera, do so. Images from cameras with higher megapixels show up on the computer as cleaner, sharper images. This will help make your listing look more professional and will help renters see the smaller details of your rig.

6) Hallways and Corners

Shooting straight into a wall makes a space feel tight and flat. Try shooting into a corner instead to give the image more depth and make the space feel more open.The same effect can be accomplished by shooting down the middle a long hallway rather than straight into a wall.

7) Look Into, Not Onto

When shooting little kitchens, tiny bathrooms, and other small spaces, you may feel like you need to point the camera down for an “overhead shot” in order to get everything in the frame. Unfortunately, this makes the space feel even smaller than it is. Instead, kneel or bend your knees a little bit and get a shot that looks more “into” the space.

8) Focus on the Rig

You want potential renters to be able to imagine themselves in this space. Using a photo that includes other people makes it harder for a renter to imagine making themselves at home in your RV. Therefore, while your kids probably are the cutest little buttons on the face of the planet, they should get their own fancy photoshoot so this one can be about your rig alone. You can use people (or dogs, if you’re pet-friendly) in your photo to show how your space might be used, but be selective.

9) Less is More

Earlier in this post, we talked about cleaning up all the clutter and removing personal items from the space you are shooting. Once that has been accomplished, it’s ok to use a few “props” (emphasis on few) to liven up the space a bit. Keep the props to a minimum in order to avoid cluttering up the space and creating distractions from the rig itself.

10) Keep your camera level

Refer to the horizon lines in your photo for good measure. The horizon line should always be straight when shooting the interior of your RV. If the horizon line is slanted, it makes the viewer feel as though they are falling, or off balance.

Additionally, if you will be shooting verticals lines—such as two walls opposite each other, cabinets, or a doorway—do your best to make them as parallel as possible. You may not always be able to accomplish this perfectly, but with a bit of effort, you should be able to frame the shot so they aren’t bending away from each other or towards each other.